First-place Timberwolves climb out of the franchise cellar

In 2021, the Timberwolves dropped below the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the worst winning percentage for any franchise in the four major United States professional sports leagues. Thanks to the team's 15-4 start, the Timberwolves have passed the Buccaneers back and are now only the second worst.

There are mitigating factors, of course. Tampa has two championships, winning the Super Bowl after the 2002 and 2020 NFL seasons. Minnesota has only advanced out of the first round of the playoffs once in franchise history (2004). The Buccaneers are still digging themselves out of a hole from their first two seasons when the team lost its first 26 NFL games.

It's a concrete sign that behind 2020 No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards and big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves are good again. Not only that, they may be better than they've ever been. Minnesota's 13-2 November was the best month in franchise history. They beat good teams, too, handing the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics their first losses and beating the Golden State Warriors in back-to-back games in San Francisco.

Last weekend, the battle to stay out of the cellar got heated, as both the Timberwolves and Buccaneers defeated teams from North Carolina on consecutive days. Minnesota beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-117 Saturday for its fourth straight win, while Tampa Bay kept its playoff hopes alive by beating the Carolina Panthers 21-18.

Two teams not named after a city, bound by years of incompetence and overly-long team names, battling to stay out of the cellar. A word of warning to the Wolves: If Tampa Bay can win its final five games, Minnesota will have to go 14-2 through Jan. 7 to stay ahead of the Buccaneers' winning percentage.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, it's too far behind the LA Clippers to catch them for the second-worst NBA winning percentage of all time. It can do something the Clippers never have: Win a championship.